A truly independent voice

On Friday, a friend of my campaign forwarded me an email revealing that I'd been excluded from a candidates forum on Saturday morning, sponsored by the Golden Gateway Tenants Association.

Needless to say, I've made many friends down there at recent "Lynn is Listening" coffee events, and so at the end of the day, I got a phone call inviting me to attend.

Glad to see so many people out there who support me and have already voted for me. They know that I support rent control and that I am the only independent voice in this race who is not controlled by the political machinery on the left or the right, which will serve me just fine as Supervisor of District 3.

On this last weekend before November 4th: Saturday morning, I am at Queztal, 1234 Polk, 9:30-11am. Then, Sunday we're back at Swirl Culture, Grant at Green. We'll be walking precincts later in the day.

Less than two weeks...

Lynn is Listening takes me this week to Swirl Culture, 1400 Grant Avenue at Green in North Beach, the yogurt shop that we fought so hard to get opened. I’ll be there this Saturday, October 25th, from 1-3pm.

Then on Sunday, I’ll be at The Bagelry, 2139 Polk Street between Vallejo and Broadway.

Hope you'll drop by and let me know what's on your mind.

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing

November 4th is 18 days away. There are eight candidates, two who were endorsed by the DCCC, the Democratic County Central Committee, which voted FOR Prop K, the Decriminalization of Prostitution, and AGAINST Prop L, funding the Community Justice Court.

Quality of life issues continue to dominate the minds and lives of the voters. After eight long years, District 3 is a mess, with blight, crime and loss of economic vitality in Chinatown and North Beach, not to mention the worst economic crisis this country has faced since the Great Depression.

When it comes to voting in this election, make sure you know what you are getting. When a candidate takes a position for Prop K and then reverses, is it because of political reasons? Or is it genuine? And when a certain candidate takes a position against Prop K, even though other members of the same Democratic County Central Committee voted for it, is this genuine?

Make no mistake: the far left ideological power base in this City is alive and well. They have no intention of losing their power on November 4th.

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!

Telling a story

From a recent San Francisco Examiner editorial:

"...because the plan is all stick and no carrot, it is difficult to see how Peskin’s 318-page bundle of restrictions provides any incentives whatsoever for a hardware store or shoe-repair shop..."

"...Peskin’s heavy-handed pursuit of reviving the old-time North Beach village atmosphere tries to reverse the powerful tide of economic history that made the district into one of San Francisco’s widest-known tourist magnets..."

"...it really becomes difficult to understand how keeping certain businesses out of North Beach will automatically persuade other, more sought-after businesses to move in...."

Read the entire editorial here:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/Examiner_Editorial_North_Beach_store_crunch_flimsy.html

This was my letter to the editor of the Examiner:

Economic woes, blight and crime.

That is what North Beach is left with following eight years of over-legislating by Supervisor Peskin. The business climate is so bad that it will take more than 318 pages of legislation to convince “neighborhood serving retailers” to come open up shop in any number of boarded up, buildings that line Columbus and Grant avenues.

Every building tells a story, a story that politically connected special interests dictate the fate of what once was a vibrant economic engine for the City.

Absolutely unacceptable

For me in this campaign, voter contact is really key, meeting District 3 neighborhood residents who want to be heard. I am out every single day knocking on doors and talking to voters. I've included excerpts below from a disturbing email I received this morning.

This email comes from someone who lives in District 3, and described the experience of living in Polk Gulch for five years with as many as 250 prostitutes, some as young as 14 or 15, and one as young as 12 who set up shop for over six months in front of the post office dressed in little girl clothes.

“There are 4 13-year-olds every morning at Larkin and Clay, 2 at Pine and Larkin, and I have seen up to 10 of these same violent, armed pimps patrolling their old haunts. The noise level every night from 2 AM to 6 AM is unbelievable.”

This is unacceptable on so many levels, I hardly know where to begin.

I’ll start at the subject of Proposition K on the November 4th ballot, which would effectively decriminalize prostitution by barring the Police Department from prosecuting and investigating it. This measure would deny funds for the First Offender Prostitution Program commonly known as “John School” and also forbid the City from using state or federal funds that involve racial profiling to identify human trafficking victims.

I have taken a stand against Prop K. It does absolutely nothing to improve the quality of anyone’s life, including very the young girls who need to be protected and the people who live with the chaos in their neighborhood. We need a supervisor who will commit to protecting children, women and the neighborhoods that suffer under this unacceptable exploitation.

The fix was in...

Several businesses on the 800 block of Columbus have been trying for two years to get the City to address the fact that tour buses idle in front of their shops and pollute the air. I spoke with Darryll White recently from Bike and Roll, who has explored all channels, including the office of Supervisor Peskin to no avail.

He would like to see a solution, a loading zone on Columbus where the buses could load and unload tourists without interfering with businesses on Columbus. This year there are more tourists and more tour buses, which have further frustrated the small business owners. Perhaps the City could regulate tour buses and create a new revenue stream...

On another note, I testified at the Land Use Committee meeting this morning regarding the new controls for the North Beach Special Use District, the 318-page legislation that Supervisor Peskin has written with little regard or input from residents, neighborhood groups or small business owners. No surprise there, it sailed through the committee and is on to the Board of Supervisors.

Stay tuned.

Next up: A ban for Chinatown

Just a note regarding my previous post on Thursday’s Planning Commission hearing: the vote was 4 to 2 in favor of the new ultra-restrictive legislation creating the North Beach Special Use District to ban any new bars, cafes and restaurants. Many projects not in the pipeline will die on the vine and we can expect more boarded-up buildings in North Beach.

It will be heard next by the Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee; soon, maybe next week.This is a committee that Supervisor Peskin sits on...

On another note, there are economic woes in Chinatown and have been for years. The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development has held several forums to try to address the issues affecting merchants and restaurant owners. The downturn in the economy just makes matters worse.

Looking to expand his restrictions beyond North Beach, Supervisor Peskin has now introduced a retail chain store ban for Chinatown. I would hope that he consulted with merchants and community leaders in Chinatown. I said hope; there's no guarantee.

Enough with the Plywood!

A new kind of "bona fide" meal

Beware of legislation bringing glad tidings with names like North Beach Special Use District, the latest attempt by Supervisor Peskin to say a great big farewell to North Beach and the health of the business climate.

This legislation goes so far as to give new meaning to the phrase bona fide meal:

A place which is regularly and in a bona fide manner used and kept open for the service of meals to guests for compensation and which has suitable kitchen facilities connected therewith, containing conveniences for cooking of an assortment of foods which may be required for ordinary meals.

(a) “Meals” shall mean an assortment of foods commonly ordered at various hours of the day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Incidental food service, comprised only of appetizers to accompany drinks is not considered a meal. Incidental, sporadic or infrequent sales of meals or a mere offering of meals without actual sales is not compliance.

(b) “Guests” shall mean persons who, during the hours when meals are regularly served therein, come to a bona fide public eating place for the purpose of obtaining, and actually order and obtain at such time, in good faith, a meal therein. Nothing in this section, however, shall be construed to require that any food be sold or purchased with any beverage.

Can things get any worse for North Beach for restaurants, cafes and bars?

On September 18th, this legislation will be heard before the Planning Commission. The legislation is over 300 pages; needless to say I haven't read the entire thing, only what pertains to the North Beach Commercial District.

The Planning Department has recommended approval of this draconian legislation under duress as usual.

Stay tuned for another battle……….

Action Must Be Taken Now

I recently attended a police community meeting at Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center that usually has six people in attendance. This time there were 36 people with Officer Fred Crisp leading the meeting of unhappy neighbors who had the frightening experience of hearing gunshots late at night only to realize that their cars had been hit as had the building they lived in. It was very lucky no one was killed.

A nearby club owner had trouble at his club that same night, had to call in the police and, while it was difficult to prove that the troublemakers at the club were the same people who shot the rounds of bullets along the 400 block of Francisco Street, the neighbors were up in arms. One man brought the bullet in a plastic bag, said it was going to cost $500 to fix his car. Another man put the club owner on warning that the neighborhood would not tolerate another incident.

After much talk and not a lot of solutions, the neighbors were still not happy. I asked the owner of the club if he would consider paying for the damages incurred by the residents on Francisco. He agreed to look into his insurance policy and he will report back at the meeting this month.

It is clear to me that the practice of club owners subletting their clubs out to promoters who offer to bring in big crowds is risky. One, the promoter is not liable, the club owner is, and two, certain promoters are not as responsible as others. This same problem exists on Broadway and there have been many incidents of violence on the weekends including bullets fired and stabbings. On Saturday, a man was shot in the face on Broadway and there were numerous other arrests made.

Action must be taken now.

There is discussion at the Entertainment Commission about having all promoters be required to obtain a business license before they can work in the City. That certainly makes sense to me.

The Deadline

I officially filed my nomination papers at City Hall. Last count? Nine candidates for District 3 Supervisor.


I had a great turn-out for my volunteer kick-off on August 2nd. So many people came to show their support and walk precincts on a warm, gorgeous Saturday. Even my 86-year-old friend Rhoda Feldman; what a loyal trooper. Days like that make all the really hard work worthwhile and keep me going on the trail.

How many debates are there? I’ve lost count: August 20th, September 3rd, September 10th, September 23rd, October 2nd. Could it be the record year for candidate forum debates? Questionnaires are rolling in on a daily basis: SF Bicycle Coalition, SF 4 Democracy, the Young Democrats…

Summer is waning, autumn is in the air, and the campaign kicks into high gear. I am the only true independent in the race that will represent the citizens of District 3 and the city, with no strings attached. I have lots of under $50 donations from regular working people, and I’m taking public finance, which matches contributions from San Francisco donor. It’s really grassroots.

I’m beginning a new program, Lynn Listens. You can meet me at coffee shops in the district, and let me know what‘s on your mind. My first one is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27th, from 5:30-7:00pm at Nook (1500 Hyde St. @ Jackson). Please drop by; I’d love to hear from you.

I'm Lynn Jefferson

I’m an activist, a neighborhood leader and I’m passionate about this great city of San Francisco. I left New York 15 years ago and never looked back. Little did I know then that my life would lead me to run for District 3 Supervisor in a town where politics is not for the faint hearted.

But then I have never been afraid; the challenges I’ve faced in the course of my life have made me strong. I moved here in 1993 for a new job, leaving behind a 15-year career in the wholesale/retail industry. The day the movers came to pack up my apartment, my mother died of a massive stroke. She was only 70 years old.

So, it was a huge challenge, alone in a new city, with a new job, dealing with the death of my mother….I survived all this, and then at probably the lowest point in my entire life, I met my husband in England, 6000 miles away. That was the beginning of the good times.

Now, fast forward to five years ago…

I got involved in the community through North Beach Neighbors and became the President of that organization, serving for two years. Still active, I chair the Planning & Zoning Committee. There are so many issues in North Beach regarding land use and powerful special interests. And, as we all know, there are so many boarded up buildings.

I think of North Beach Neighbors as the good guys: independent, willing to challenge the status quo, providing balance.

That’s me, an independent voice for the citizens of District 3 and the city. I’m willing to fight the fight for residents and small business owners who have been shut out of the process by powerful special interests with ties to City Hall. With no political agenda, I am here to serve the community, and the people. The real deal.